Daily Email: Thursday, May 26, 2016

DEVOTION:  Luke 7:1-10English Standard Version (ESV)

Jesus Heals a Centurion's Servant

After he had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. Now a centurion had a servant[a] who was sick and at the point of death, who was highly valued by him. When the centurion[b] heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his servant. And when they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, "He is worthy to have you do this for him, for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue." And Jesus went with them. When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to him, "Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. Therefore I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed. For I too am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me: and I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it." When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, "I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith." 10 And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant well.

 
You would expect to see this kind of faith among the people that God had appointed as his own and kept as his own for thousands of years.  You wouldn't expect this kind of faith within a Gentile centurion who was supposed to be against Jesus and his people. 
 
You never know where you're going to find faith.  You may find it in a Jewish millionaire who learns of Christ's love and comes to faith.  You may find it in the drug addict who has no home.  You may find it in a man who has been a Christian for 45 years, since he was two weeks old.  You may also find an even greater faith in the lady who just heard the Gospel an hour ago. 
 
It's not your job to judge who will and won't believe.  It's not your job to pick and choose who should hear the good news from you.  It's not for you to give forgive to only those you think are worthy of it.  You are not that kind of judge. 
 
The next time you are judging someone look at them as Jesus does, as someone for whom He died.  Judge them as Jesus did the centurion in today's lesson, as someone who has greater faith than everyone in the church! 
 
Let us pray: Help me not to judge people according to what I see, but according to what you see.  Amen.


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CALENDAR:
Thurs- Lutheranism 101 7pm
Fri- Assemble Newsletter 9am
Sat-  Worship 5pm
Sun- worship 8:30; Sunday school 9:45; Worship 11

Mon- Memorial Day- Church office closed
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WORSHIP WORKERS:  
Acolyte- 8:30- Jacob Cluver   11- Alaina Heitgerd


Ushers- Alan Hofeldt, Rich Talbert, Tim Linke, Don Turnure

Altar-  Set up- Dane and Jodi Baldwin; Clean Up- John and Anna Hoenig

Elders-  Sat- Randy Fischer;  8:30- Jason Cluver;  11- Charlie Figura
 
Greeters-  8:30- Lew and Dianne Feldkamp;  11- Joan Sexton

Lay Readers- Sat- Marci Sevier  8:30- Jacob Nagel; 11- Kailyn Blechle

Organist- Rachel Fisher
 
Piano- Kathy Barrow

Projectionists:  Sat- Toni Mauch; 8:30- ???? (Erv Yoder is scheduled, but he is out of town for work.) 11- Cameron Faerber
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YESTERDAY'S QUIZ  

Who was Agur son of Jakeh? 

 
Pat is Back by un- popular demand!  hehe
 
Contrary to popular belief, he was not the son named after the sound a cat makes, when coughing up a hairball. I know, it sure sounds like it, but not true. No, Agur be Jakeh (Hebrew: אגור בן יקה‎) was the dude who compiled a bunch of proverbs – written by crazy Sol – and he plunked them all down in Proverbs 30 – which is sometimes known as the Book of Agur, or Sayings of Agur. So says the wise and infallible Wiki!
But I actually like the hairball answer better.
 
So, here's an article you guys can read, if you're so inclined: http://www.gotquestions.org/Agur-Proverbs.html
 
Oh! I forgot something! The book of Agur is not  - I repeat NOT!!! – the common plumbing manual used by student plumbers when trying to figure out how to use an – you guessed it! – augur! Note the different spelling when shopping for said manual.

 

 

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TODAY'S QUIZ:  Who is Solomon writing to in the Song of Solomon?
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NEWS!!!! 
STEPHEN MINISTRY IS REBOOTING AND REENERGIZING AND NEEDS MORE FOLKS TO BE A PART OF IT!! 
Read below if you would like to know more about Stephen Ministry and what it entails!!
 

WHAT IS STEPHEN MINISTRY?

Stephen Ministry is a lay ministry of caring for individuals on a one to one basis through listening and prayer. 

 

WHO NEEDS A STEPHEN MINISTER

Basically anyone who has gone or is going through some type of struggle or loss could benefit from a visit from a Stephen Minister. People who are going through grief, divorce, loneliness, or a whole host of other circumstances are all good candidates for a Stephen Minister.

 

WHO LEADS AND DIRECTS IT?

It is led by lay people, under the supervision of Pastor, who have been trained to be Stephen Leaders at a special Stephen Leader training course.  Molly Hendershot, Joanne Hachtel, and Chrissy Groeber are our current Stephen leaders. 

 

HOW DOES ONE BECOME A STEPHEN MINISTER?

Stephen Ministers go through 50 hours of training to be the best active listeners and responsible caregivers that they can be.

 

WHAT DO STEPHEN MINISTERS DO ONCE THEY ARE TRAINED?  Stephen Ministers are responsible to

Listen

Pray

Share Christ's love

Attend to the caregiver process and leave the results to God. 

Maintain confidentiality

 

WHAT IS CONFIDENTIALITY

Everything that a Stephen Minister talks about with a care giver is to be kept between the Stephen Minister and the care receiver.  It is a very private matter and cannot and should not be divulged to anyone, unless that care receiver requests it. 
 

WHO CAN BE A STEPHEN MINISTER?

Anyone who has a heart for hurting souls can be a Stephen Minister.  It does require a time commitment, so be sure that you have enough time to commit to the training and to being a Stephen Minister (About 1-2 hours a week.)

 

WHY DO WE NEED STEPHEN MINISTERS? 

It's best to answer this one right from the Scriptures.  In Acts 6 we see that the disciples were getting very busy as the church was growing exponentially.  They needed some "helpers' to help take care of the needs of the people.  So they chose seven people, one of whom was Stephen, to help take care of the physical and spiritual needs of the people. 

            To these seven, and then to billions after them in the millennia since, have been given the task of being the ears, hands, and hearts to care for the people.

            St. John's is in need of such people!  As our congregation grows and changes and as needs increase, the need for Stephen Ministers increases as well.  We just need more people listening and praying and that's what Stephen Ministers do.    

 

 

WHAT DO I NEED TO DO TO EB ASSIGNED TO A STEPHEN MINISTER AS A CARE RECEIVER?

Contact one of the Stephen Leaders, Marilyn, or Pastor and we will get you set up.  Church phone is 636-456-2888  or Pastor's cell is  636-359-1061

 

 

WHAT DO I NEED TO DO BECOME A STEPHEN MINISTER?

1. Contact one of our Stephen Leaders, Pastor, or Marilyn to be put on a list of trainees.  636-456-2888  or Pastor's cell at 636-359-1061

2. Wait for enough people to fill out the list.

3. Attend and participate in training when it is scheduled.  We have to wait till there are enough people willing to go through the Stephen Ministry training before we start.

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CALLING ALL 18-40 YEAR OLDS!!

What?  Barbecue Picnic

When? Saturday, June 18, at 6pm (after worship)

Where? Church Pavilion

Who?  All 18-40 year olds and their friends

Why? 1. Fun and Fellowship (getting to know others)

2. Fact Finding and Future Planning (How can the congregation better serve this generation, and how can this generation be of service to, in and through the congregation?)

 

What will be provided?  Hamburgers, hotdogs, pork steaks, buns, plates, napkins, cups, and plasticware, tea, and lemondade. 

 

What should I bring? Bring your own adult beverages and a side dish or dessert to share. 

 

Please RSVP by Sunday, June 12 if you can, but if you don't RSVP, please come!  The Lord will provide.

 
PAPER RECYCLING AT CHURCH
DO NOT LEAVE THE PAPER IN A PLASTIC BAG WHEN YOU DROP IT IN THE BIN.  DUMP IT OUT OF THE BAG! 
 
No cardboard, plastic, or foam allowed.
 
You may have noticed the big red dumpster on the parking lot.  That is for you to dump your used paper!!
Any kind and color of paper is acceptable.  No cardboard. 
 
Church will get money per pound.
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SCRIP PROGRAM CONTINUES!!
Here's how it works:
1. Pick up an order form from the counter in the narthex or from Marilyn in the office.
2. Mark how many cards you would like to order from each retailer you use, and fill in the totals.  (If you need help, stop by the office or talk to Marilyn or ask me after worship.)
3. Attach a check to your order form made out to St.John's.
4. Marilyn will place the order on a certain date each month.
5. Pick up your cards from your church mailbox.
6. Use your cards just like money at the various stores.
 
Please use this program!  It is an easy way for you to help YOUR church raise money for its ministries!
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LUTHERANISM 101 RESUMES TONIGHT!! 
Come and join us!  It doesn't matter if you have tons of Bible and theology knowledge or none at all!  It's a fun, light hearted and yet extremely beneficial time!
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TRIBUTE TO VETERANS MEMORIAL PAVER PROJECT IS UNDERWAY
Place your order online at www.tributetoveteransmemorial.org  or get an application from the office.
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PASTOR KLAUSTERMEIER IS BIKING 1,000 MILES THIS SUMMER FOR LEADACHILD!!!

We have been blessed beyond measure in the United States haven't we?  I want you to join me in making a global difference by releasing children from poverty through Christian education.

 

Instead of taking a week off and joining my fellow Lead a Child bikers who are riding the Fault Line across four states this year,  I have decided to go solo and bike 1,000 miles locally and while on vacation by August 1 to raise funds for LeadaChild. Would you sponsor me so that I can raise funds to support this most worthy organization?  In my opinion, there is no more worthy organization to support than LeadaChild!

 

LeadaChild  provides educational assistance to over 26,000 children and shares the love of Jesus Christ with the students and their families! LeadaChild supports the poorest of the poor children through Christian education in the following countries:

Guatemala                    Chad                       Honduras               Palestine               Haiti             Uganda

Gambia                          Ivory Coast            El Salvador            Nigeria                   Panama       Nicaragua

Burma                            Ghana                     Chile                       Venezuela             Bolivia         Mexico

Liberia                            Uruguay                Sri Lanka                India                       Guinea        Sierra Leone   

Bangladesh                   Cambodia              South Africa         Togo                       Thailand


 These students need your help to find a way out of poverty through Christian education and learn of the hope of Christ our Savior.

 

Please fill out your information below and send it with your check or donate online through the LeadaChild website: http://www.leadachild.org/bike

 

Every dollar makes a difference. Please give generously.  Please remember all of the riders in your prayers!  Thank you much for your support!

 

Biking For Kids Together,

Pastor Jeremy Klaustermeier

 

LeadaChild  is a 501 C-3 non-profit organization and is a Recognized Service Organization of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod.

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OPERATION BACKPACK FOR MAY IS CANNED FRUIT!!!
Remember this is for the poor and needy children of our community and county that often receive two breakfast and lunch at school, and have very little or no food at home.
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GENERAL PRAYER 
For WALT SCHIRR as he spends some time at Parklane Rehab recovering from a urinary tract infection.
 
For BARB PERRICONE as she continues to recover from pneumonia at Parklane Rehab.
 
For PAT JAEGER, who has had her knee replacement surgery postponed. 
 
For BRIAN TAMPOW, a friend of Steve and Toni Mauch, who will be having cancer surgery soon, and chemo and radiation afterwards on a tumor just behind his tonsils.
 
For JIM HUSTER who is recovering at home from pneumonia.
 
For CARA KLAUSTERMEIER as she is doing well and even helping out at Summer school with Mrs. Tinnin doing some tutoring.  
 
For CHERYL, a cousin of Tony and Sandra Perricone, who is going through breast cancer treatment right now. 
  
 For DENISE SCHLESSELMANN as she finishes up her current mission work in the Czech Republic and makes her decisions for her future.


Sermon from 5/22/16

Watch and Share!
 
 https://youtu.be/Q_qnlJNgSz8